Law Commons^™

Poetry, Law, & Poetry: Some Notes Toward A Unified Theory, Frank Pommersheim

Tribal Law Journal

This work is a beautiful and profound commentary on law. In twenty points, Pommersheim reflects on the nuances of poetry and law. As Pommersheim juxtaposes poetry and law, law and poetry, he reminds us what law is and what it is not.

It is the first contribution to a new section of the Journal which will contain work that crosses law with other disciplines.

Shadow War Scholarship, Indigenous Legal Tradition, And Modern Law In Indian Country, Christine Zuni Cruz

Tribal Law Journal

In this essay, Tribal Law Journal Editor-in-Chief Zuni Cruz comments on the purpose of the Tribal Law Journal. She borrows the term "shadow war" from the Zapatistas' use of the Internet as she describes the Journal's endeavor to make Indigenous law explicit and to promote mental sovereignty. She challenges and invites others who write about the law of Indigenous Peoples to join in making legal scholarship in this area accessible to the public, especially the Indigenous public, and to create a depository of thought, rejecting the scattering of thought, by publishing legal scholarship in the global, publicly accessible e-journal, that …

Indigenous Legal Traditions, Cultural Rights, And Tierras Colectivas: A Jurisprudential Reading From The Emberá-Wounaan Community, Lauren Koller-Armstrong

Tribal Law Journal

This paper provides an overview of the Emberá-Wounaan indigenous group of Panama in the context of its legal traditions, worldview, and socio-political organization. In addition, this work examines how overlapping systems of tribal law and national Panamanian law have shaped 1) the tribe's geographic boundaries; and 2) environmental management in tribal communities

Toda Cambia Y Todo Sigue Siendo Igual (The More Things Change, The More The Stay The Same): How Fifteen Years Later The Constant Threat Of An End To The Zapatistas Continues To Justify Their Means, Pamela Genghini Hernandez

Tribal Law Journal

This article gives a chronological account of the events pre-dating the uprising of January 1, 1994 and the Zapatista struggle through the years. The author examines these events in light of indigenous self-determination, taking into consideration conditions within Mexico, to defend the course of action taken by the EZLN as a means of creating a space for themselves within Mexican society. The author argues the current state of federal Mexican law and international law do not leave Indigenous Peoples, including the EZLN, viable options for resolving injustices committed against them. She also provides an overview of the structure that the …

The Xhosa And The Truth And Reconciliation Commission: African Ways, Douglas H.M. Carver

Tribal Law Journal

The author begins by providing a conceptual framework for indigenous people generally and then focuses on indigenous people in South Africa. Mr. Carver then discusses the culture and customs of the Xhosa, one of the main ethnic groups from the Republic of South Africa. He then discusses the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), set up in South Africa after the fall of the apartheid regime, which was meant to rebuild a society divided by racial and ethnic lines. The author explains how the Xhosa concept of "ubuntu" – encompassing African concepts of justice, harmony and reconciliation — became a core …

Indian Law Clinics And Externship Symposium Roundtable Discussion: Lawyering For Indigenous People, Tribal Law Journal

Tribal Law Journal

Several native and non-native Indian Law clinicians and scholars participated in a roundtable discussion on June 22, 2007 in Albuquerque, New Mexico to discuss lawyering for indigenous people. The attendees were organized into three different groups: discussants, respondents, and participants. The discussants began the dialogue and discussed their experiences in representing tribes to representing individual native clients in various areas of law. They discussed what it means as a lawyer "to do no harm" and their roles and challenges in teaching students how to serve native populations. The respondents provided their responses to the various topics presented by the discussants. …